Paige Spiranac Weighs in on Olivia Dunne Controversy

Paige Spiranac and Olivia Dunne.Momodu Mansaray/Getty Images and Aaron Davidson/Getty Images

Paige Spiranac is showing how the world is a better place when women support women. The golf influencer took to Twitter to support LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne after the New York Times published an article questioning how Dunne has leveraged her social media popularity to earn seven figures under NCAA’s new name, image and likeness rules. 

“I’m so sick of women belittling accomplishments of other women because it’s done differently than they would,” Spiranac tweeted. “@livvydunne is getting hate for making 2 million a year. She’s built a successful business (at 20) all while being a student-athlete. That’s badass.”

I’m so sick of women belittling accomplishments of other women because it’s done differently than they would. @livvydunne is getting hate for making 2 million a year. She’s built a successful business (at 20) all while being a student-athlete. That’s badass.

— Paige Spiranac (@PaigeSpiranac) November 11, 2022

Sports handicapper Kelly In Vegas chimed in to the comments and echoed Spiranac’s sentiments. “Imagine if women focused on their own aspirations/careers what they could accomplish,” the podcast host wrote. “Everyone is so worried about what others are doing that they forget to focus on the only one that matters.”

The article, titled “New Endorsements for College Athletes Resurface an Old Concern: Sex Sells,” drilled down on how some college athletes who fit stereotypical beauty standards have been able to take advantage of the financial opportunity that comes with signing brand deals and endorsements. 

“To Dunne, and many other athletes of her generation, being candid and flirty and showing off their bodies in ways that emphasize traditional notions of female beauty on social media are all empowering,” Kurt Streeter wrote. “But the new flood of money—and the way many female athletes are attaining it—troubles some who have fought for equitable treatment in women’s sports and say that it rewards traditional feminine desirability over athletic excellence.”

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A post shared by Olivia Dunne (@livvydunne)

Dunne, 20, has eight million followers across TikTok and Instagram. Her content includes lip-synching, dancing, gymnastics tricks and occasional sponsored content from big-name companies like American Eagle Outfitters and Vuori.